The 5 Most Controversial Logos Of The Last Year
var tpsInstance; var tpsOptions = {"src":"#tps_src_3956 > div","dest":"#tps_dest_3956","nav":["#tps_nav_upper_3956","#tps_nav_lower_3956"],"navText":"%{currentSlide} of %{totalSlides}","helperText":"Use your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse","defaultSlide":0,"transitionEffect":"slide","transitionSpeed":150,"keyboardShortcuts":true,"numberOfSlides":1,"slides":[{"title":" The 5 Most Controversial Logos Of The Last Year","permalink":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/the-5-most-controversial-logos-of-the-last-year\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"
Logo design is a powerful tool and an essential element of brand recognition. But logo designs, (which sometimes cost thousands or even millions of dollars) often prove controversial, with loyal customers, competitors and graphic designers giving you a good pelting if you make something that they don\u2019t like.<\/h5>\n
In an age of instant complaint, the last year has seen several high profile logo controversies going nuclear on the social networks. In most cases, people railed against the design work whilst others shrugged off coincidences and wondered if it all mattered. And then there were those designs that polarized people\u2019s opinions, and those that were just utterly worthy of public hate\u2026<\/p>\n
\n5<\/span> Rio Olympics<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
You\u2019d think the 2016 Olympic logo was on easy street after the controversy with which the 2012 logo was received. Likened to a sex act being performed by a popular cartoon character<\/a>, Iran later went and claimed that it was offensive because they discerned the word \u2018ZION\u2019 within the vague forms of its fuchsia mess. Either way, it isn\u2019t a design you\u2019d be all that happy to print business cards<\/a> of.<\/p>\n
The Rio 2016 logo is visually harmless by contrast, a flowing three-person scribble that abstractly looks like the chambers of a heart. Unfortunately, it looks rather less abstractly like the logo of Colorado-based charity the Telluride Foundation<\/a>, a flowing four-person scribble that takes the form of a cartoon heart. The impression isn\u2019t helped by the use of green, yellow and blue in both logos. An unfortunate coincidence? Probably. But people weren\u2019t especially happy anyway.<\/p>\n
\n4<\/span> Comedy Central<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
The great thing about making a minimalist logo that everyone hates is that people literally get mad over nothing. Comedy Central<\/a> unveiled this \u2018C within a C\u2019 to a predictable backlash, its skew on the copyright symbol taken as a joke that nobody particularly understands or recognises. See. It\u2019s turning corporate America on its head. Hilarious.<\/p>\n
So, the logo is probably not strides better, but who really cared for the original? The font and \u2018towers\u2019 logo are icons of the kind of hip, edgy comedy that are very last millennium. They\u2019ve been using a cleaned up variation for the last decade, but it has always looked a little bit like something made for the MTV generation.<\/p>\n
\n3<\/span> Rosa Parks Google Doodle<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
An \u2018old-look\u2019 GM transit bus stands at a curb and four children of various creeds and colours run out with hands linked. As far as Google homepages go, December 1st\u2019s illustrated logo entitled \u201855th Anniversary: Rosa Parks refuses to move\u2019 was a poignant one that symbolised not just one of the most important actions in American civil rights, but the dream of the civil rights movement realised.<\/p>\n
The controversy wasn\u2019t about what the image was, but what it was not. December 1st is also designated World Aids Day, a fact that Google have never celebrated in a Google Doodle. They did mark the day by turning the Google Maps view red when people spread awareness by tweeting, but dissenting voices felt that a ribbon should have been added to the homepage.<\/p>\n
\n2<\/span> Starbucks<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
\n1<\/span> Gap<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
Minimalism is a trend in these controversial designs: the idea that someone has gone and spent thousands, maybe millions of dollars on removing elements from their corporate image just seems unjustifiable to anyone who doesn\u2019t work within design (and to many that do). But every now and then, the design process throws up something so obviously objectionable that the backlash is completely justified.<\/p>\n
The thing I hate the most about this Gap<\/a> logo is the way that I can hear the brainstorming session in my mind every time that I see it. \u2018See, we keep the old box as part of the design\u2019 says the ever so expensive creative mind, \u2018but we put the lettering outside it. Get it? Gap is outside the box. Genius.\u2019<\/p>\n
Still, there was a happy ending. After a deluge of negative Facebook feedback Gap stopped the rollout of the new design and reverted back to their old branding. And the designers were chased into a canal by an angry mob, never to be seen again. Well perhaps not the last bit.<\/p>\n
About the author: Steph Wood is a blogger and copywriter with an eye for creativity, currently working for the UK-based Solopress flyer printing<\/a> service.<\/h5>"}],"useSlideSources":"true","prevPost":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/10-best-wordpress-themes-of-july-2011\/","nextPost":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/7-fun-photo-props\/","prevText":"Prev","nextText":"Next","buttonWidth":"0","prevText_post":"Prev post","nextText_post":"Next post","buttonWidth_post":"0","postUrl":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/the-5-most-controversial-logos-of-the-last-year\/","postId":3956,"refreshAds":"true","refreshAdsEveryNSlides":"5","adRefreshingMechanism":"page","siteUrl":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com"};
(function ($) {
$(document).ready(function () {
tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions);
});
}(jQuery));

<\/p>\n
The great thing about making a minimalist logo that everyone hates is that people literally get mad over nothing. Comedy Central<\/a> unveiled this \u2018C within a C\u2019 to a predictable backlash, its skew on the copyright symbol taken as a joke that nobody particularly understands or recognises. See. It\u2019s turning corporate America on its head. Hilarious.<\/p>\n
So, the logo is probably not strides better, but who really cared for the original? The font and \u2018towers\u2019 logo are icons of the kind of hip, edgy comedy that are very last millennium. They\u2019ve been using a cleaned up variation for the last decade, but it has always looked a little bit like something made for the MTV generation.<\/p>\n
\n3<\/span> Rosa Parks Google Doodle<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
An \u2018old-look\u2019 GM transit bus stands at a curb and four children of various creeds and colours run out with hands linked. As far as Google homepages go, December 1st\u2019s illustrated logo entitled \u201855th Anniversary: Rosa Parks refuses to move\u2019 was a poignant one that symbolised not just one of the most important actions in American civil rights, but the dream of the civil rights movement realised.<\/p>\n
The controversy wasn\u2019t about what the image was, but what it was not. December 1st is also designated World Aids Day, a fact that Google have never celebrated in a Google Doodle. They did mark the day by turning the Google Maps view red when people spread awareness by tweeting, but dissenting voices felt that a ribbon should have been added to the homepage.<\/p>\n
\n2<\/span> Starbucks<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
\n1<\/span> Gap<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
Minimalism is a trend in these controversial designs: the idea that someone has gone and spent thousands, maybe millions of dollars on removing elements from their corporate image just seems unjustifiable to anyone who doesn\u2019t work within design (and to many that do). But every now and then, the design process throws up something so obviously objectionable that the backlash is completely justified.<\/p>\n
The thing I hate the most about this Gap<\/a> logo is the way that I can hear the brainstorming session in my mind every time that I see it. \u2018See, we keep the old box as part of the design\u2019 says the ever so expensive creative mind, \u2018but we put the lettering outside it. Get it? Gap is outside the box. Genius.\u2019<\/p>\n
Still, there was a happy ending. After a deluge of negative Facebook feedback Gap stopped the rollout of the new design and reverted back to their old branding. And the designers were chased into a canal by an angry mob, never to be seen again. Well perhaps not the last bit.<\/p>\n
About the author: Steph Wood is a blogger and copywriter with an eye for creativity, currently working for the UK-based Solopress flyer printing<\/a> service.<\/h5>"}],"useSlideSources":"true","prevPost":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/10-best-wordpress-themes-of-july-2011\/","nextPost":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/7-fun-photo-props\/","prevText":"Prev","nextText":"Next","buttonWidth":"0","prevText_post":"Prev post","nextText_post":"Next post","buttonWidth_post":"0","postUrl":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/the-5-most-controversial-logos-of-the-last-year\/","postId":3956,"refreshAds":"true","refreshAdsEveryNSlides":"5","adRefreshingMechanism":"page","siteUrl":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com"};
(function ($) {
$(document).ready(function () {
tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions);
});
}(jQuery));

<\/p>\n
\n1<\/span> Gap<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
Minimalism is a trend in these controversial designs: the idea that someone has gone and spent thousands, maybe millions of dollars on removing elements from their corporate image just seems unjustifiable to anyone who doesn\u2019t work within design (and to many that do). But every now and then, the design process throws up something so obviously objectionable that the backlash is completely justified.<\/p>\n
The thing I hate the most about this Gap<\/a> logo is the way that I can hear the brainstorming session in my mind every time that I see it. \u2018See, we keep the old box as part of the design\u2019 says the ever so expensive creative mind, \u2018but we put the lettering outside it. Get it? Gap is outside the box. Genius.\u2019<\/p>\n
Still, there was a happy ending. After a deluge of negative Facebook feedback Gap stopped the rollout of the new design and reverted back to their old branding. And the designers were chased into a canal by an angry mob, never to be seen again. Well perhaps not the last bit.<\/p>\n
About the author: Steph Wood is a blogger and copywriter with an eye for creativity, currently working for the UK-based Solopress flyer printing<\/a> service.<\/h5>"}],"useSlideSources":"true","prevPost":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/10-best-wordpress-themes-of-july-2011\/","nextPost":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/7-fun-photo-props\/","prevText":"Prev","nextText":"Next","buttonWidth":"0","prevText_post":"Prev post","nextText_post":"Next post","buttonWidth_post":"0","postUrl":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com\/design\/the-5-most-controversial-logos-of-the-last-year\/","postId":3956,"refreshAds":"true","refreshAdsEveryNSlides":"5","adRefreshingMechanism":"page","siteUrl":"http:\/\/allyouneedislists.com"};
(function ($) {
$(document).ready(function () {
tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions);
});
}(jQuery));

(function ($) { $(document).ready(function () {
tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions); }); }(jQuery));